Aiming for 5 consecutive away wins, while maintaining the team's momentum!

　Sec. 27 of the league will be a match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo away. In the previous match against Iwata, they achieved a 4-game winning streak with a massive 5 goals, and they aim to continue that momentum and achieve a 5-game winning streak in J1, which would tie the team's record (including a victory in the 2000 2nd Round 1-5 and extra time). Coach Jofuku said, "This season, we have had many chances to catch up with the top teams, but we have missed them. As a result, the players feel the desire not to miss this opportunity. Regardless of the opponent's ranking or points, we need to be prepared for a close match. We need to fight with the mentality of holding on to a 1-0 lead."

　Sapporo, who has not won since Sec. 17 and is currently in 18th place. Although they have been struggling, they have had few scoreless games, scoring 3 goals in the Sec. 24 match against G Osaka. After that, they scored 2 goals in the Chiba and Oita matches, showing their lively attacking style. In addition to the injury of DF Minowa, FW Davi, who is ranked 2nd in the goal ranking, will be absent. However, with the tall FW Anderson as the focal point, the attacking players such as MF Nishiya and Nishi from the side are functioning well, so the battle on the side will be crucial. Therefore, first and foremost, they need to have a stable defense and if they can win the battle on the side, they should be able to create scoring opportunities. They want to break down the Sapporo DF with their speedy attacks.

　Tokyo, with Konno and Hirayama suspended for this round, Redmine's injury did not worsen and he returned to the starting lineup. Bruno QUADROS and Hayu also prepared their condition and became substitute members. Redmine said, "There is no problem with my arm condition. Thanks to the team's overall condition improvement, I have scored in three consecutive matches. Although I was absent in the previous round, I want to keep up with the team's momentum and ride the wave. There is no room for complacency, and there is a sense of tension to win and move up in the standings," and there are expectations for scoring in four consecutive matches.

　Shioda said, "There is a fear that if we allow the first goal, we will have to tighten our defense, so we want to maintain balance and fight tenaciously to score the first goal. We haven't won four consecutive games easily so far, and especially after winning by a large margin, the following games tend to be difficult. It is expected to be a tough battle away from home, but I want to overcome each game with a mentality of winning without losing to Sapporo's desperate feelings." As a team, the game will be held at Sapporo Atsubetsu Stadium for the first time since 2002. The match started with Sapporo's kickoff in the chilly wind.

Despite being pushed by the opponent's momentum, they manage to end the first half without conceding any goals.

　Sapporo has been launching a strong side attack from the start of the first half, putting Tokyo at a disadvantage. In the 1st minute, FW Sunakawa forcefully shoots after MF Clayton's keep, and in the 3rd minute, DF Ichiuchi's header shot is released from the loose ball of a corner kick, continuously pushing Tokyo into their own goal area. Nevertheless, they manage to hold on and gradually start passing the ball, waiting for a chance. In the 12th minute, Kajiyama → Ishikawa → Kajiyama quickly pass the ball to the right. From the loose ball of Nagatomo's throw-in, Asari takes a shot but misses the target. In the 15th minute, Akamine drops Kajiyama's pass and receives the return pass, then Kajiyama sends a through pass to the front line. Emerson runs through the central defense, but the opponent's goalkeeper catches the ball just a step ahead.

　In the 16th minute, a decisive chance was created for FW Sunakawa by MF Nishitani on the opponent's right side, but he was saved by a missed shot. In the 19th minute, Kajiyama dribbled through the center quickly. He slipped through the gap between the defenders and made a final pass to Cabore in the left area just before the penalty area. Cabore aimed with his left foot, but it was blocked by a defender. In the 28th minute, Akamine, who had escaped behind the defense line from a pass by Tokunaga, took a shot, but the opponent's goalkeeper caught it. In the 36th minute, Ishikawa and Emerson started the play on the left side, and Kajiyama in the center took a shot. Emerson picked up the rebound and quickly took another shot after turning around, but it missed the target by a wide margin.

　Tokyo is unable to connect passes from coordinated movements in front of Sapporo's tough defense from the front line. On the contrary, Sapporo freely utilizes the area on the left side of Tokyo, starting from FW Anderson's keep, and repeatedly receives crosses from MF Nishi and FW Sunakawa, creating dangerous situations. However, they do not allow goals by putting their bodies on the line, centered around Shioda. In the 44th minute, FW Anderson slides into the goal area from FW Sunakawa's right cross, creating a scoring opportunity, but narrowly misses... As a result, the first half ends scoreless.

Achieving 5 consecutive victories with a come-from-behind win despite the struggle

　Substitute Hanyu for Emerson in the second half. He aimed for the goal by exploiting the space between the opponent's defense line and midfield. In the 47th minute, Hanyu -> Ishikawa brought the ball into the right area and took a shot, but it was blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper. However, in the 52nd minute, just as we were starting to grasp the rhythm, Hanyu injured his left foot and had to be replaced by Bruno QUADROS. In the immediate 54th minute, Sapporo shook the side from the right corner kick, and finally, the defender Ikeuchi scored a header from the left cross, resulting in a goal. We ended up conceding the first goal.

　Still, without panicking, they counterattack. In the 63rd minute, Ishikawa receives a vertical pass from Nagatomo, and Cabore shoots from the front of the central area. In the 68th minute, Cabore receives a pass from Kajiyama and shoots from outside the area, but both shots go over the goal. Then, in the 70th minute, Nagatomo snatches the rebound from Cabore's shot and breaks through the right side. After receiving a return pass from Cabore, he quickly crosses the ball in front of the goal, and Akamine jumps in and perfectly heads it into the net! With this goal, Akamine scores for the fourth consecutive game and equalizes the score.

　Afterwards, in the midst of a back-and-forth counterattack, in the 79th minute, Daiki Otake was substituted for Cabore in an attempt to score an additional goal. Then, in the immediate 80th minute, Otake received a pass from Nagatomo near the halfway line and dribbled towards the center. Seeing no pressure from the opposition, he swung his left foot from just outside the penalty area. The well-controlled ball was sucked into the bottom left corner of the goal! In his first play after coming on, he scored a valuable go-ahead goal.

　In the final stages, there were scenes where Sapporo, who never gave up until the end, attacked, but we did not allow any additional points. Despite the struggle, Akamine and Otake scored valuable goals and achieved a come-from-behind victory. They also achieved a team record of 5 consecutive wins, which is the first in 8 years, and the first "5 consecutive wins in 90 minutes" in J1.

　【Player Comments】《Akamine》"The goal was just like in practice. Yuto made a good run and sent me a quick ball. We always discuss and practice this kind of play, and we were able to score as planned. Each player has their own strengths and the situation is different, but I think we were able to execute the plays we practice. However, we didn't create many chances other than that moment. The opponents exploited the space behind our defense with long balls, and I think we dropped back a bit too much. In terms of performance, it was a game with 0 points. Still, being able to win in this kind of game will lead to the next one."《Otake》"When I was on the bench, I thought that the wall of 5 consecutive wins was thick and not easy to break. However, gradually spaces started to open up between the opponent's defensive line and midfield, so I believed that if we continued, we would eventually break through. There was also an accident with Hayu-san, so the substitution options were limited, but I thought there would be an opportunity to bring in attacking players if the score remained tied. When I stepped onto the pitch, I was determined to score. I received a pass from Nagatomo-san in the first play, saw an opening ahead, and the defenders didn't close in. While dribbling forward, Nao-san opened up on the right, and the opponent's goalkeeper shifted to the right as well. At that moment, I saw the shooting lane and aimed without hesitation. I believe that carrying the ball forward is my strength, and today I was able to make use of that play."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "We entered the game with the intention of not betraying the supporters who came all the way from Tokyo to cheer for us and those who have been supporting us in our current situation. However, we had a bit of a tough start. In the first half, Sapporo played aggressively and we were a bit inconsistent, including our backline, which led to some dangerous situations on our left side. We managed to keep a clean sheet in the first half, so we made adjustments for the second half and brought in Hayu player, but unfortunately, we had to make a substitution due to an accident, and we conceded a goal during that period, so the momentum was not very good. As a result, being able to endure with just one goal led to a comeback, and I think our defensive play from the front and going back to our own style became the key to the comeback. (Is it now realistic to compete for the top spot?) There are many things to reflect on this time, such as the way we played the game and of course, the players' condition. We will carefully assess and confirm these things over the next week, and use the lessons learned from this game to focus on each and every game, accumulating points and keeping up with the top teams. So, without thinking too far ahead, we want to prepare the best for the next game."

　[Summary of Sapporo Miura's Press Conference] "It felt like the game started with us dictating the pace from the beginning. We were aggressive in winning the ball and both our offense and defense were active on our right side, creating a game that seemed to revolve around their left side. Although it ended in a 0-0 draw, the first half was not bad in terms of performance. I thought we would score in the second half and see how things would unfold, but unfortunately, the opponent capitalized on their few chances. (What do you think was the reason for not converting those few chances?) It's a very difficult question, but football is a sport where upsets happen, and having more chances doesn't guarantee a win. FC Tokyo may also have many chances and still lose, so I think it was just one of those games. If we attribute it to a difference in strength, then if we lose, it will be said that way, so maybe that's the case."